Review of "Princess in the Spotlight"

"Just when Mia thought she had the whole Princess thing under control things
get out of hand fast!" This is how Meg Cabot's second volume, Princess
Diaries II: Princess in the Spotlight is described on the flyleaf of
the book. Like the first volume, it is written in the format of a teenage
girl's diary, and charts Mia's further adventures as a princess-in-training.

To recap volume I, Mia Thermopolis is an average ninth grader growing
up in Greenwich Village until she discovers that her father is the royal
prince of Genovia and due to cancer treatments has been left sterile. Mia
is his only child and as such she is now the next in line to rule Genovia.
This came as a complete shock to Mia who knew her father was an important
foreign diplomat, but not that he was THAT important! In volume I, Mia
begins her princess-in-training lessons with her Grandmere, learns to cope
with her ever-present bodyguard, Lars, and discovers the difference between
real and false friendship, and that image is not always the best indicator
of character.

In volume II, Mia continues to deal with her unique family situation
and takes on the media. Grandmere is up to her old tricks and schedules
Mia for an interview on a major television talk show. Mia is shaking in
her army boots, not so much because she is nervous, which she is, but due
to the flu. A dose of cough syrup before the interview leaves Mia woozy
and Genovia in a state of national chaos. At home, life is no less chaotic.
Mia's mother is pregnant and Mr.Gianini, her Algebra teacher, is the father!
While the parents-to-be plan a quiet Halloween wedding at Town Hall, Grandmere
has other ideas for the mother of the future ruler of Genovia. She has
invited a select group of 300+ guests and dignitaries for a gala wedding
at the Plaza. Meanwhile, her mother's "countrified" parents and Mia's "knock
dead gorgeous" cousin have descended upon the household. Complicating matters
further, Mia has started to receive mysterious email from a secret admirer
who wants to meet her for the Halloween showing of Rocky Horror. Poor little
Princess, what will she do?

Mia continues to mature as she faces more of the issues facing young
people today. She comes to terms with her ambivalence about her mother's
impending marriage, her new stepfather, and soon to be new sibling. She
confronts the issue of deciding between family commitments and personal
interest. She also negotiates the realm of secret email flirtation. (This
latter issue should have at least alluded to some of the risks in flirting
with and meeting strangers met online, but did not.)

Mia's second Princess Diary is as delightful as the first! It heavily
relies on information and relationships established in volume I. This novel
should be read only after having read volume I. (I personally wonder if
the two volumes were originally intended to be one volume, but that they
were at some later point divided.) All this having been said, I recommend
the Princess Diaries set. It is appropriate for ages 12 and up.

Suzanne Garrison-Terry
Education: B.A. in History from Sacred Heart University, M.L.S.
in Library Science from Southern Connecticut State College, M.R.S.
in Religious Studies/Pastoral Counseling from Fairfield University,
and a M.Div. in Professional Ministry from New Brunswick Theological
Seminary. She is currently completing a Certificate in Spirituality/Spiritual
Direction from Sacred Heart University (July 2001). She is a Licensed
Minister of the United Church of Christ and an Assistant Professor
in Library Science at Dowling College, Long Island, NY.

Interests in Mental Health: I am interested in the interplay between
psychology and spirituality. My current research focuses on the
role of hormonal fluctuation during puberty, pregnancy, and peri-menopause
as a stimuli for mystical experiences. Through the study of autobiographical
accounts of the mystical experiences of "historically accepted"
female Christian mystics and additional biographical information,
I am analyzing the connection between the onset of mystical experiences
and biological data/symptomology for the potential existence of
hormonal fluctuation or irregularity. If this sounds like an unusual
topic, nota bene how many medieval female mystics began having
"vision" on or about the age of 40!